Typically, when one thinks
about archaeology, the visualization is about uncovering pyramids, ancient
cities like Rome, or the Holy Land - or dinosaurs. However, more and more
Hoosiers, as well as scientists around the world, are learning that Porter
County has one of the “newest” treasured archaeological digs with relics
from as late as the 1920s to as old as 8000 B.C.

John Hodson, president of
the Kankakee Valley Historical Society, recently shared information about
the treasures being dug up around the historic hunting lodge known as
Collier Lodge located along the Kankakee River near Baum’s Bridge.

“There is so much history on
this one acre!”, Hodson said about the small section of the 150 acres he
owns in the southern part of Porter County as he gave his presentation to
the Duneland Historical Society.

The dig is located next to
Collier’s Lodge, itself an historic building which had been used in the
1800s by U.S. Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and Grover Cleveland.

Hodson first showed a DVD
about the archaeological dig, then answered questions from the audience -
which could have lasted several hours because of the endless curiosity
displayed by the group gathered at the Library Service Center.

“For me, this is all about
education,” Hodson said about his part in the experience. All of the
artifacts are donated to the University of Notre Dame to be researched and
archived.

In 2003, Hodson initially
contacted Dr. Mark Schurr, who teaches at ND, to learn what treasures he
had.

“It was like an artifact
road show,” Schurr said in the DVD. Among the items were chipstone tools
estimated at 1,100 years old and pottery.

According to Hodson, Schurr
came out to the site and within two hours collected 214 artifacts.

In 2004, Schurr began a
field study dig with his students and volunteers. The dig lasted for 12 days
and Schurr has continued the dig, for 12 days each year until two years ago.

He no longer can use it as a
field study class, but volunteers have enthusiastically offered help to
continue the study. Scientists from around the world have participated.

On the first day of the dig,
participants waited patiently under a modern day canopy until the downpour
of rain subsided, so they could begin.

The sun finally did come out
and they carefully scraped off the first layer of dirt from a section
measuring one meter in length by a half meter in width. The dirt was then
dumped onto a sieve where volunteers used their hands to push the dirt
through the sieve. The debris that stayed on top of the sieve was later
washed and cleaned.

“If you’re not sure whether
to keep it or not, keep it,” Schurr told his helpers, adding that the value
would be determined later.

Schurr talked about how in
the 1800s Pottawattomi Indians or settlers used this spot. Pottery from
England dating back to 1835, blue transfer print pearlware of the 1820s
brush design transfer painting, crockery used for storage, and pottery from
the Removal Period have been discovered here. A ceramic door knob of 1860
vintage also was uncovered.

In the DVD a woman
demonstrates how a clay pot is reconstructed from a shell find. The potwas made one day and used for cooking the next day, she said. Various
pottery pieces have been found that were made during different centuries.
They are identified by the minerals in the clay, decorations and designs.
Some clay was fired in ovens, others, naturally dried as the woman
demonstrated, still otherpieces are signed and some is
Stafordshire.

Square nails common until
1890 have been found, Schurr said, showing the difference from nails used
today. The hammer of a flint gun and a very large fishing hook are among the
many items catalogued for further research.

A Union metal company shell
was fired sometime between 1867-1911, he said.

Collected artifacts show the
acre in 1679 was probably used by French fur traders for a campsite. Trade
goods items, axes made by blacksmiths and pieces of pottery have been dug up
and labeled. (Volunteers are taught how to catalogue each item).

Glass, obsidian thought to
be from Yellowstone, and arrow points were all there. The larger arrow
points are older, he explained. The smaller ones were made from the larger
ones found after they were used.

There are about 20
individual archeological digs there to date. The deepest site is 14 levels
deep. Each level is four inches in depth. When digging, the participants
were told to not mix the different kinds of dirt found in each level.

To date a portion of a
foundation of a cabin has been uncovered. Also, in no particular order
according to levels, two pre-historic finds dating back to 8000 BC, have
been uncovered. One was a jawbone. A lot of bones of fur bearing animals and
many fresh water shells have been catalogued.

An area that had not been
excavated when this DVD was made, but was pointed out by Schurr was where
the privy had been located. The area was the same during more than one
generation.

Some very large rocks were
uncovered, which had to have been brought to this spot, Schurr said. Members
of the audience guessed it might have been the site of a sweat-lodge.

Some pennies were found,
apparently dropped from a pocket, or money bag. Schurr said they might have
been used to pay for crossing the river in a ferry before Baum’s Bridge was
built.

After the presentation,
Hodson told the Chesterton Tribune he estimates the dig will continue
for 250 years to uncover all that is at the site.

He said what is unique here
is that they are finding relics of all ages close to the surface.

They have been mixed up by
generation after generation, century by century.